Retreat-Remix-Revive: Youth, Mental Health & Social Justice

Retreat. Remix. Revive: The Intersection of Youth, Mental Health, and Social Justice

Ready to hit pause and recharge while leveling up your skills? Join us from March 21 to March 23 for a CEU-packed weekend retreat designed to nourish your mind, body, and spirit.

Picture yourself surrounded by nature’s serenity, enjoying delicious meals, snacks, and cozy lodging while connecting with like-minded mental health professionals. This retreat is all about YOU - balancing relaxation with actionable learning. We’ll dive deep into workshops focused on youth mental health and social justice, arming you with real-world strategies you can implement right away.

Here’s what’s waiting for you:

• Game-changing workshops to help you thrive in your work with young people
• Plenty of downtime to rest, recharge, and soak in the peaceful surroundings
• Mindfulness practices to center and nourish your well-being
• Delicious meals, snacks, and a serene environment to help you unwind
• Opportunities to laugh, connect, and grow alongside a community of peers

This weekend is your chance to not only enhance your practice but to remix your approach and revive your passion for the important work you do. You’ll leave feeling refreshed, inspired, and ready to make an even bigger impact in the lives of the young people you serve.

Come for the CEUs, stay for the peace, and leave with a renewed sense of purpose!

Here's what you can expect:

Check-in at the beautiful Stony Point Center on Friday 3/21/25, 3pm and Check out Sunday 3/23/25, 2pm.

10 total CEUs with workshops on site throughout the weekend (for LMSWs and LCSWs)

Meals and snacks included.

Peaceful surroundings to experience Yoga, meditation, journaling and recreational time.

Friday 3/21/25

Workshop 1: 7pm-9pm ( 2 CEUs) - Compassion in Action: Vision Boarding for Self-Care and Social Justice in Youth Mental Health

Presenters: Ancy Lewis, LCSW and Cindy Bautista- Thomas, PhD, LCSW

Workshop Description:

In a field that thrives on compassion and the drive to make a difference, social workers and mental health providers working with youth face unique challenges. Most enter the field because of a deep desire to help others and derive immense satisfaction from their work. However, when compassion satisfaction gives way to compassion fatigue, the work that once inspired can lead to burnout and even secondary trauma. This workshop addresses these challenges, empowering practitioners with self-care tools rooted in social justice that can be used for themselves, their students, and their clients.

At the intersection of youth mental health and social justice, self-care is not just a personal practice - it is a form of resistance and resilience-building that reinforces one's commitment to sustaining energy, empathy, and drive. Through vision boarding, this workshop will guide participants in creating a tangible, visual representation of their personal and professional goals, helping them to reconnect with their purpose and envision a sustainable path forward. Vision boarding will serve as both a self-care strategy for practitioners and a teachable tool for their clients, especially youth, who can benefit from seeing self-care as an act of empowerment.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

1. Recognize the signs of compassion fatigue and burnout, understanding the impact these issues have on professional efficacy and personal well-being.

2. Define self-care as a critical intervention to sustain compassion satisfaction, prevent compassion fatigue, and promote resilience in the field of social work.

3. Identify ways vision boarding is a powerful strategy for goal-setting, self-reflection, and renewal

4. Apply techniques for integrating self-care into the work with students and clients, teaching youth and young adults to view self-care as a social justice practice that can build resilience and reinforce personal agency.

Bios:

Dr. Cindy Bautista-Thomas, PhD, LCSW, RYT is is an Assistant Professor of Social Work at Lehman College, CUNY, and a licensed clinical social worker with over 25 years of experience across early intervention, child welfare, public schools, higher education, and nonprofit sectors. Through her company, Velocity Visions, Inc., Dr. Cindy leads impactful trainings on toxic stress, leadership, burnout prevention, and self-care with her partner, Ancy Lewis. A published author, she co-authored School Social Work: A Direct Practice Guide (Second Edition). Cindy is also a podcast host, mindfulness facilitator, and master trainer dedicated to creating spaces of healing and transformation.

Ancy Lewis, LCSW, brings 20 years of experience across mental health, early childhood, adult care, child welfare, and higher education. She earned her MSW from NYU and currently serves as the Assistant Director of Field Education at Fordham University's Graduate School of Social Service. Ancy co-founded and leads Velocity Visions, Inc., a development company empowering individuals and organizations with tools for self-care, growth, and burnout prevention. Formerly a behavioral coach for parents across North America, Ancy is passionate about health and education and enhances learning through her clinical expertise. During COVID-19, she championed mental health awareness globally, presenting to the Indian Orthopaedic Association and practitioners in Nepal. She also hosts the Self-care to Success in 15 minutes or Less podcast.

Saturday 3/22/25

Workshop 2: 10am-12pm (2 CEUs)- Engaging Reluctant Youth

Presenter: Emily George, LCSW, MS.Ed.

In this workshop, we will explore supporting youth reluctant to engage with services. Through a combination of lecture, group discussions, and hands-on activities, we will review strategies for building rapport, connectedness and trust in counseling. We will review clinical and systems theories to explain reluctance in clients using a culturally-responsive, anti-oppressive, trauma-informed, and healing centered lens. We will learn clinical skills from a variety of modalities including Motivational Interviewing, Attachment-Based Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Mindfulness. Participants will be able to turnkey activities to those who support youth including social workers, counselors, educators, and families.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this workshop, SWers will be able to:

1. Understand why youth reluctance exists in counseling sessions, school, or other areas.
2. Learn and turnkey to others how to reframe “resistance” as “reactance.”
3. Enhance, reinforce, and practice clinical skills to engage, build, and enhance rapport, connectedness, and trust with youth.
4. Identify and practice clinical interventions for engaging reluctant youth including Motivational Interviewing, Attachment-Based Therapy, self-regulation strategies, and Mindfulness.

Bio:

Emily George, LCSW, MS.Ed. spent twenty years working in schools, first as a classroom teacher and then as a School Social Worker. Her practice is holistic, client-centered, and strengths-based with a culturally responsive, trauma-informed, healing-focused lens. Emily received her Masters in Education from Hunter College, C.U.N.Y., and her Masters in Social Work from NYU. She has a Post Master's Certificate in Clinical Practice with Adolescents and is School Social Work and SIFI certified. In 2021, Emily left her position after ten years in her school to build her practice to support those who support, especially those who work in schools: educators, social workers & counselors, school staff, and more. She is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at New York University’s Silver School of Social Work. She also facilitates the Faboo Listserv NYC, which has grown to over 900 NYC area School Social Workers and Counselors. It is a space for collaboration, resource sharing, referrals, and more.

Workshop 3: 3-5pm (2CEUs) Effective Mediations: A Dynamic Symphony

Presenter: Camile Gayle, LCSW and Katherine Moreno, LMSW

In this workshop, we will explore the various aspects of facilitating an effective mediation. We will discuss how an effective mediation is not only impactful to the relationship of the participants, but can in fact be a tool for healthy communication and healing for the individuals that are engaged in the work.. Effectively facilitated mediations require participants to pause, consider the immediate situation and to also explore other factors, including trauma history, that may be impacting their response to this present circumstance. The lessons learned and tools provided during an effective mediation can produce long term change for the participant.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this workshop, SWers will be able to:

1. Understand the role of mediations in healing trauma and furthering healthy communication.
2. Identify and practice strategies for planning and executing meaningful mediations.
3. Understand the role of mediation among the continuum of restorative and transformative justice practice work

Bio:

Camile S. Gayle, LCSW, brings over 15 years of clinical experience as a licensed

clinical social worker, trained psychotherapist, and expert in child and adolescent

mental health. She specializes in using holistic, strength-based approaches to

support and expand children’s, adolescents’ and young adults’ social, emotional and

behavioral skills and resilience. Her expansive career includes teaching, school-

based psychotherapy, and providing clinical supervision and mentorship to social

work students and colleagues.Camile received a Master’s in Social Work from New York

University Silver Schoolof Social Work and received post-graduate training at the Women’s

Therapy CentreInstitute and New York University.In her time outside of school, Camile

enjoys spending time with her family,participating in restorative wellness experiences, and

relaxing at the beach.

Katherine Moreno is a first-generation Latina Social Worker. She holds degrees from Lehman Collegeand Stony Brook University and is a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW). With eight yearsof experience working in Brooklyn schools, Katherine is deeply passionate about engagingstudents and their families in strength based, holistic health practices.

Her mission is to challenge and dismantle Eurocentric therapeutic ideologies while fosteringnew, culturally responsive norms in therapy spaces that are more inclusive and supportive ofBIPOC communities. Katherine's work is rooted in a commitment to create healingenvironments where diverse cultural perspectives are honored, and individuals can thrive.

Workshop 4: 7-8pm (1CEU)Healing and Hope: Holistic Approaches for Youth Resilience and Well-being

Presenters: Ancy Lewis, LCSW & Cindy Bautista-Thomas, PhD, LCSW

Workshop Description

This one-hour workshop provides social workers and mental health professionals working with youth an opportunity to deepen their skills in holistic healing. Through engaging discussions and practical activities, participants will gain an understanding of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), post-traumatic growth, and grief. Participants will learn effective strategies to address ACEs, foster resilience, and support youth through grief, all while grounding their work in ethical and equitable practices. This workshop serves as both an educational and reflective space for professionals dedicated to empowering youth at the intersection of mental health and social justice.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this workshop, SWs will be able to:

1. Identify common ACEs and their effects on youth mental health, learning to recognize signs of trauma and its implications for growth and development.

2. Identify 2 strategies to promote resilience and encourage post-traumatic growth, incorporating holistic healing practices that are sensitive to individual backgrounds and experiences.

3. Acquire tools and techniques to effectively support youth navigating grief, focusing on empathetic, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive approaches.

Bios: See them above

Sunday 3/23/24

Workshop 5: 10 am - 12 pm (2 CEUs) Elevating Parent Engagement through Non-Traditional Communication

Workshop Description

This interactive, in-person workshop is designed to equip school social workers and youth mental health providers with practical tools and strategies to increase parent engagement, especially among families in communities of color. The presentation will address common barriers to communication between parents and school or community-based providers and explore how to bridge these gaps to foster stronger school-home connections. By understanding cultural, linguistic, and systemic barriers, participants will learn how to create inclusive, approachable outreach methods to support families holistically. Participants will leave with concrete strategies, action plans, and a framework for ongoing engagement.

Presenter: Paula McMillan-Perez, LCSW

Learning Objectives

By the end of this workshop SWers would be able to:

1. Identify at least three common barriers to communication between parents in communities of color and school-based mental health providers.

2. Discuss and apply non-traditional communication tools and strategies to increase parental engagement.

3. Design a sustainable outreach calendar for consistent parent communication using a variety of culturally relevant methods.

4. Analyze the positive impact of increased parent-school communication on youth mental health and academic outcomes.

Bio:

Paula McMillan-Perez, LCSW is a first-generation Afro-Caribbean Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Psychotherapist, Social Work Systems & Workflow Strategist, and the host of the “Why Don’t We Talk About This?” Podcast. She has a diverse area of expertise that serves all age groups; however, Paula's sweet spot is working with adolescents. Her specialization is treating Attention Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Anxiety as well as streamlining systems and workflows for mental health clinicians.

Workshop 6: 1 pm - 2 pm (1CE) Restorative Practices: Circles & Conferencing

Presenters: Emily George, LCSW and Paula McMillan-Perez, LCSW

Workshop Description

This workshop provides participants with an overview of the types of Restorative Circles and skills for facilitating them. Through a combination of lecture, group discussions, and hands-on activities, we will learn about the indigenous origins of circles as well as the various types within restorative practices. We will review their uses including establishing norms, building community, checking in, repairing harm, decision-making, teaching content, reintegrating someone who’s been gone. Participants will have the opportunity to practice skills for planning for facilitating circles and restorative justice conferences.

Learning Objectives

1. Learn about when and how to use the seven various types of RP circles
   2. Apply skills for structuring and facilitating restorative circles and conferences.
   3. Practice facilitation skills utilizing role plays.
   4. Create a plan for incorporating circles into participants’ current Social Work practice.

Bios: See above.

Velocity Visions, Inc. is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0690.

S ee FAQ for:

• Payment - Plans, Cancellation Policy, Reimbursement Request & PD Request
• Food
• Accommodation
• Transportation
• What should I bring?

P lease email Velocity Visions, Inc. with any questions at [email protected].

Host or Publisher Velocity Visions, Inc.